Strangers

Rating:
Summary: A brilliant, beautiful novel.
Review: Many people today, sadly, have no idea that Gardner Dozois was an author before editorship took over his career; mainly a short story writer, he wrote a single solo novel (STRANGERS) and a novel in collaboration with George Alec Effinger (NIGHTMARE BLUE) and has had three or four interrelated short story collections published (the latest of which being STRANGE DAYS: FABULOUS JOURNEYS WITH GARDNER DOZOIS). STRANGERS, sadly his only solo novel, is a masterpiece. It has beautiful, effective prose coupled with believable, likable characters with complete depth. The narrative is surprisingly immersive--once I began reading, I could not stop myself from continuing on, and ended up finishing the entire novel in the space of a single afternoon. This novel is highly recommended; rather, think of it in terms of me pushing you towards this page, saying, "You HAVE to buy this book!"

Rating:
Summary: Superb.
Review: Unfortunately, Gardner Dozois the author is still unknown to many people. His fiction, mainly consisting of short stories, is some of the best I've come across in my experience with science fiction; he tells extremely human stories of emotion and, in many cases, fragility (though not to the point of melodrama) set against the backdrop of his intriguing ideas, and Strangers, Dozois' only solo novel and his most notable, deserves a larger audience. Even though I personally regard this book as one of the best novels of the genre, you shouldn't take my word for it--just get the novel, read, and enjoy.